PDP – Sheriff Consults Anenih in a Closed Door Meeting

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff on Friday consulted former chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih at his Abuja residence over the crisis within the party.

‎Sheriff, a former governor of Borno State was accompanied by his deputy, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh and former political adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan among other members of his National Working Committee (NWC).

Speaking with newsmen at the end of the meeting which lasted for about an hour, Sheriff said he consulted the elder statesman to seek his advice on the current logjam in the party.

“PDP that we are enjoying today, there are founding fathers. So as a father I came to talk to him. He is one of the fathers of the PDP; he is one of the people who formed this party.‎ I came to seek his advice on how we can return to our position of 1999,” he said.

Chief Anenih on his part declined to ‎reveal to journalists his advice to Sheriff.

“I can’t tell you my advice to my son,” Anenih said.

But a source privy to the meeting told our correspondent that the former BoT chief advised Sheriff to pacify aggrieved members of the party in order for him and the PDP to move forward.

“You see, Sheriff cannot run the party alone. So he was advised to reconcile with all aggrieved ‎members of the party. Sheriff as we know wants to return this party to its lost glory and that is what he is doing currently. He will reach out to all members who feel aggrieved in order to save the PDP,” he said.

Similarly, Sheriff’s deputy, Dr Cairo Ojougboh, said: “we are re-positioning the party and for that reason, we are consulting widely. Some even said for peace to reign I should step down as deputy chairman.

“I am ready to make sacrifice for the party to move forward because we have done what we want which is bringing the party back to life; taking the party to the grass roots.

“I have the passion to work for the party. I can write and resigned if they want, for our party to grow. I am ready to make sacrifices,” he said.

On why Sheriff Supporters broke into the secretariat Thursday, Ojougboh said: “it is the police that sealed the office; it was the police that opened the office based on the court order. The chairman didn’t break into the secretariat.”

‎”I appeal in the name of God, that please, anybody who is offended should give peace a chance. If you go into another party you have broken the PDP into two and there is no way we can win the APC in 2019. What God has ordained has ordained.”